Pentax Expands Tiny-Sensor Q-Series, World Asks ‘Why?’

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The Photokina photography show is in full swing, and with it comes a rain of new product announcements. Today is Pentax’s turn, with a few new cameras including the Q10, an extra body for the Q-system.

The Q10 keeps the stupid small sensor in its mirrorless body, gets a little faster and also launches with a pointless new lens adapter.

I’m not knocking Pentax cameras here – the company makes some fine hardware, and has gotten zillions of photographers into the hobby over the years thanks to its less expensive cameras and open lens standard. But the Q range seems like nothing more than a novelty. You can change lenses, but the sensor is the size of the ones you’ll find in a compact camera. Which leads to some hilarious consequences:

New with the Q10 (quick specs: 12.4MP ½.3’ sensor, ISO 6,400, $600 with kit lens) is an adapter which will let you put any and all K-mount lenses on the body, whether auto-focus or manual. So, let’s take a 28mm wide-angle lens as an example. Pop it onto the Q and the 5.5x crop-factor turns it into a 154mm telephoto monster. And that ƒ1.8 nifty fifty? An ƒ1.8 275mm. Awesome for sports, if it weren’t for the body’s relatively crappy maximum ISO.

It’s hard to recommend this camera, unless you want a compact that looks like something better, I guess. It’s in a similar mould to Nikon’s dumb 1-series cameras. Sad, really, as both Nikon and Pentax are capable of much better things.

• Source Pentax
• Via DP Review

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